


Fly

by Subtle_Shenanigans



Series: Dissassociation [20]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Amazing Echo (Phil), Angst, Blood, Cereal, False Fire (Dan), Fighting, Friendship, Gen, Heroes, Prompt Based, Rebound is Martyn, Semi-Graphic Injuries, Sorry Not Sorry, Temporary Character Death, Turbulents!AU, Villains, You know how Dan is, Youth by Glass Animals is the them for this AU, grief?, not gonna tag too much because it'll spoil it, superhero au, this is a train wreck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-24 06:53:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15625155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Subtle_Shenanigans/pseuds/Subtle_Shenanigans
Summary: "Boy; now your life is back-to-front, but you'll see that's not for long.'cause I know you'll feel the ghost, of some memories so warm. . ."-'Youth' by Glass Animals.Turbulents!AU #4(note to self: don't delete this draft you bazooka)





	Fly

**Author's Note:**

> FINALLY GOT TO THIS.
> 
> This is actually what started this AU - the prompt at least (which will be in the bottom A/N). 
> 
> Oof, I'm sorry. Kinda.
> 
> EDIT: This. . . .is almost completely different than intended. It's - I mean, it's OOC of course since it's an Alternate Universe, and therefore a perception of how they would possibly be with different circumstances affecting their repart as people and - uh, yeah.
> 
> The main line I think of from 'Youth' for this AU is "don't you know you got my eyes? I'll make you fly. You'll be happy all the time," with how I imagine Dan's eyes while using his powers, then him falling with his wings out, and then he and Phil laughing together.

    _Fly_

* * *

* * *

 

    It didn't take him long; a solid hit to the back of the perpetrator’s head, and he went down like a rock. Dan would have said something - maybe a joke, or a reprimandation, but-

  

   Well it's not like there's anyone around to appreciate it, now is there?

   He didn't say a word as the cops arrested the assaulter - merely blinked blankly as they spoke to him, thanking him. He knew he should respond - after all, his friend would have. But honestly, what was the point?

 

   Dan made his way home through back alleys lit by dim street lights, remembering to grab some dinner on his way.

 

   Chinese takeout was better than nothing, after all.

* * *

    It had been on the news, day after day, the first two months.

 

     “. . .famous team known as Amazing Fire is reduced to one, as Amazing Echo takes a fatal blow. . .”

 

    “. . .rumors are that the underground experimentalist villains, Revenue, lead by one known as Yaverman were behind the initial fight. . .”

 

    “. . .while no civilians were injured, Amazing Echo’s body was never found, False Fire has also been absent for almost nine days. . .”

 

    “. . .some report that the enigmatic Rebound was briefly on the scene. . .”

 

   “. . . False Fire was finally reported saving a girl of nine years after a structural collapse; despite the three week absence, he still seems to be taking his partner’s loss hard. He is unresponsive to questions and refuses to speak. . .”

 

What could he even tell them?

* * *

 

   His neighbors obviously noticed Phil’s absence, but they don't ask.

 

   Not a single one of them.

 

  ( _None of his family call, which Dan expected. Martyn told him to expect silence for a long while._ )

 

   Dan thinks about moving. Finds he can't. Not yet.

* * *

 

    It was supposed to go well. Things always did.

 

    They had been caught up in a string of Turbulent kidnappings - not just Turbulants, but all sorts of Abnormals. Super powers may not be common, but there was still a good percentage of people with them.

 

      It was obvious who was behind it all.

 

      Yaverman.

 

      It was a name whispered in the streets, spoken lowly amongst thugs. Even ‘supervillains’ weren't safe from him. Anyone with a power was kidnapped; taken by any means possible.

 

    The only ones that were found were those mutilated beyond recognition.

 

   Way back when Dan first joined Phil, Phil had mentioned that he had actually become a Turbulent after some of Yaverman’s men tried to kidnap him and his brother, Martyn. They had escaped, though in the heat of the moment Phil couldn't control Susan, who had practically mauled one of the top men, Aidon. Aidon had lived (though Phil still felt guilty that his powers had done so much damage - it explained his caution and control in battle, despite being such a klutz in general life), though he had no idea whether further retribution would come. That's why his brother, Martyn, continuously serveilled Revenue where he could.

 

  But he lost the trail many times; Yaverman was crafty and careful.

   There had been a major lead up in Brighton; Jackieboy Man and Wiishu had teamed up when the well renowned DiePie had gone missing, and managed to find him alive - albeit quite roughed up - amongst a faction of Yaverman’s Revenue. What little information they did manage to garner seemed to imply that the group was spread out, most moving towards Manchester.

 

    Putting them right into Team AmazingFire’s territory, according to Martyn.

 

   Jack had been the one to call them up, asking if they could keep an eye out, and if they would mind other Turbulents moving in on their territory to help. Amazing and Fire had been quick to agree, expecting Jack, Wiish, and Die to be there on Monday. Mark, as well as Crank and Xy, planned to fly out and help as well.

 

   While Dan and Phil would have preferred their friends who lived closer to them, they all were caught up with other obligations, and honestly, they were happy with any help they could get.

 

   This was on Wednesday.

 

   They ran into trouble on Thursday.

 

    _There was fire, not his fire though, and they've been fighting for well over two hours now._

_Most of the villains had been taken down, though Yaverman didn't show his face until the grand finale. Yaverman had no powers, but he had a gun._

 

_By then they were exhausted, worn down; why had they lured them to a partially abandoned construction site? There was no help here - it would be ages before the smoke alerted any officials._

 

_At least they kept the fight out of a residential area._

 

_Some of Revenue were Abnormals too; there was a lizard-shifter and some sort of ground-freezing one. But they hadn't expected the one with claws._

 

 _Dan felt a scream, shrill and aviary, rip from his throat; Dan didn't get angry, not really. He didn't care for confrontation, though he wouldn't necessarily back down from it. But he couldn't stop the sound that tore from him, made of pain and fear and blazing_ **_anger_ ** _._

 

_Mr. Claws was down, unconscious as soon as Dan’s fire burned him, Dan’s blazing hands pressing down on his chest, eyes impossibly bright with false fire and tears._

 

 _The next moments were a blur as Revenue retreated with their wounded (it had only been a small team, so_ **_how_ ** _-) Dan’s wings spread up and aggressively , shoulders hunched, eyes brighter than sun and stars._

 

_And then he dropped to Phil, panic settling in. Phil was wheezing, paler than normal, a gaping hole in his gut the size of a fist. His costume was dark, soaked, blood still dripping out. Dan took off his black sleeveless jacket and pressed it to the wound._

 

_“Oh god oh god oh god. . .”_

 

_“. .D. .an. ?”_

 

_Dan kept pressure on the wound, teeth grit. He was still crying, though he wasn't sobbing, and Phil looked straight at him, confused pain swimming in his blue eyes._

 

_“Shut up, you Spork; there's an effing hole in your stomach the size of a fist.”_

 

_“. .Dan. .”_

 

_“-the police should be here soon, with an ambulance; standard procedure. We’ll get you fixed up, and then you'll be on bed rest for awhile-”_

 

_“Dan.”_

 

_“-I’ll be the only one working, but that's okay because we have the savings account.”_

 

_“Dan.”_

 

_Dan stopped mumbling, not because Phil shouted his name, but because it had been huffed out quietly with pain._

 

_Brown eyes burning with ethereal orange-yellow met blue ones that were sharp and cat-like._

 

_“. .you need . . . to go. . .”_

 

_“Like hell!”_

 

_“Dan,” Phil wheezed, putting his hand on top of the jacket to hold it in place. Dan didn't withdraw his hand, stubborn. “He'll be here. . .soon, okay? . . This. .is our chance, ugh. . . jus’ . .go.”_

 

_Dan was shaking violently on the inside, though his hands barely trembled. “I'm not leaving you alone.”_

* * *

 

    Phil has been gone for two years and two months.

* * *

 

    Dan is stubborn, and a man of his word.

 

    Dan refuses to order from their favourite pizza place; Phil said he would pay for it next, and he was going to hold him to it.

* * *

 

     During a chase, Dan slips and falls off of a building; fricking Gaveon has always managed to elude their grasp, or weasel his way out of Jail, so it's that much harder when it's just Dan.

 

    But he falls - which isn't unusual - and crashes into pavement one wing snapping beneath him and his whole right side taking the brunt. Somehow his legs fair okay but his arm is definitely mangled, and he can feels his ribs jutting into his right lung. The fall wasn't high enough to make him blissfully unconscious.

 

   There's no one there to wait with him while his body burns coldly and restructures; no one to talk to him and distract him while his ribs pull free and set back, while he coughs up the extra blood filling his lung, which is knitting itself back together.

 

   Normally Dan doesn't care - it hurts, but Phil distracts him enough, and his concern makes Dan blot out the pain.

 

   But this time. . .

 

   There's no one.

 

   And it's not just his body in pain.

 

   He cries.

* * *

 

     Phil has been gone almost three years now.

* * *

 

   Dan’s . . .not sure what to do about this. Honestly.

 

   He knew it wasn't permanent, but he grieved the absence all the same.

 

   It was both too soon, and far too late, and he's so emotionally strained that he doesn't know _what_ he feels.

 

    _Should_ he be angry? Elated? Upset? Happy?

 

   He doesn't know.

* * *

 

   The source of his emotional confusion is at two in the morning.

 

   Dan has always had trouble sleeping; insomnia, depression, anxiety - who knows? So he's not surprised to find himself waking up, analog clock displaying an ominous red 2:02 AM.

 

   So he's not bothered; gets up to use the bathroom because hey, why not? Debates taking a shower, decides it's too much effort, but gets up to start the laundry because he hasn't washed anything in awhile and he only has so many pairs of pajamas.

 

   What causes him to pause, though, is a noise from the kitchen.

 

   It's a crinkling, shuffling sound, one that he's way too familiar with.

 

   He pads his way over, silent, and, after a moment to discern that the noise is still there (and some new ones in the mix, though they were expected), he flips the light switch.

 

    Phil stands there, hair choppily cut and clothes scuffed, a hand to his mouth as he freezes mid-chew, and a box of Dan’s cereal in the other hand.

 

   It's borderline comical and annoying all in one, but Dan just freezes.

 

   Phil stares.

 

  Then lowers his hand, giving a cheeky, embarrassed grin.

 

   “Uh, hi? Look, I-”

 

   Dan doesn't even register the fact that he had slapped Phil, because in the next second he's pulling him into a tight hug, trying not to cry and laugh and scream all at once.

 

   And Phil, who's relieved and guilty and scared and beyond happy at the same time, just returns the gesture, the cereal falling to the floor and spilling a bit from the box.

 

   They both cry.

* * *

 

    _“I'm not leaving you alone,” Dan’s eyes blaze. “You're my best friend and I won't leave you effing alone for even a_ **_minute_ ** _, dammit.”_

 

_Phil grows quiet. “I-”_

 

_He smiles. “Thanks.”_

_He falls unconscious. In a few minutes there's a strange sound that almost warbles in a roundabout fashion. Dan senses him come up._

 

_“Rebound.”_

 

_“False Fire,” Rebound says, inclining his head._

 

_Dan looks up at him as he clasps a hand on his shoulder. “It'll be okay. I'll take him to Glitter Sprinkles - we’ll need to lay low for a while, but he'll be okay.”_

 

_“I-” he chokes up, looks at Phil. “How long.”_

 

_“I don't know. We'll need Yaverman to think he's dead. I know - I know you two are close, and it'll hurt. I’m sorry.”_

 

_Dan closes his eyes and gives a shuddering breath. Then he gets up and nods. “Okay. Okay. Just . . .take care of him.”_

 

_Rebound gives him a smile, reminiscent of Amazing Echo’s. “Of course. He's my brother, after all.”_

* * *

 

   They order pizza (“I promised I would pay”), and sit in the living room to talk things out.

 

   Phil, who has apologized already, finally asks, “Why did you _slap_ me? That _hurt_ , you know.”

 

   Dan knows that it didn't, at least that much. The faint red has already faded from Phil’s face, and Dan still isn't regulating his emotions, so he merely huffs, “You faked your death for three years and ate _my_ cereal; what else did you expect?”

 

    There's a twitch of a smile on Phil’s lips. Then he shakes his head. “I've been watching the news, you know. I - are _you_ okay?

 

  “Are you?” Dan fires back. “Because I haven't heard a single thing about you.”

 

   Phil shuffles guiltily. “I know, I'm sorry. After we went to Louise, she was able to heal my stomach, but she said that the intestines needed time to heal back. Took about three months.”

 

   Dan grimaced.

 

   “I'm fine though!” Phil waves his hands frantically. Then lifts his shirt to show the white scaring, almost like a supernova. “It's all healed, no real damage left behind.” He puts the shirt back down. “And then Martyn couldn't contact you just in case someone knew that you were False Fire, or else they'd connect that Phil Lester was Amazing Echo, etc. Plus, Martyn was still trailing Revenue, and had to wait for a safe opportunity. We got PJ to help us put a file in the system that I was brought home for my own safety and couldn't contact you, so that it would seem like you weren't involved.”

 

   “Did you guys put it under the ‘Grenfal Evacuation’?”

 

   Phil nodded.

 

  They were silent for a time.

 

  “. . .I really am sorry.”

 

   Dan sighed. “I know. It's not your fault. We didn't expect things to go like this. You always were a klutz though.”

 

   Phil scoots closer, elbows him. “Yeah, I am.”

 

   “I already forgave you, by the way.” Dan says, nudging him in return.

 

   Phil smiles. “I know.”

* * *

   Amazing Echo returns about four months after Phil Lester does; he's much more cautious during fights, and both False Fire and Amazing Echo are much more protective of the other. The first few fights are clumsy, as they learn to work in sync again - it's been over three years, after all. But soon they're fighting _better_ than they ever have, Fire whirling to cover Amazing’s left as Susan is sent forward and Amazing snarls, swiping claws to the right. They're a whirlwind of awful humor and sharp wit; echoing, resounding, and seamlessly melding battle moves.

 

   Amazing Echo will not answer questions about his absence, nor will False Fire. But it's evident that light has returned to the Phoenix’s eyes, and that the lion-shifter is happy to be back.

 

   They do, however, give time to talk to news crews about their fights, and to talk to those they rescue; accounts that had been dead on Twitter begin posting again, though not as much, and much more careful about what information they do share.

 

  Things begin to take a similar pattern to that of _before_ , though they'll never quite be the same.

 

   And Dan is fine with that.

* * *

   “Hey, Phil?”

 

   Amazing Echo turns to him, more curious than worried to hear his civilian name. They were on a rooftop, scouting, far enough from prying ears and eyes.

 

   “What do you think about moving to a new apartment?”

   Amazing suddenly grinned, and False Fire grinned back.

 

  “Let's do it!”

    

**Author's Note:**

>  **Prompt: "Who wouldn't be angry; you ate all my cereal and faked your death for three years!"** ((Yes I tweaked the line in my fic.))
> 
> Oof, where to begin? I'm not going to lie; this feels like a train wreck. I've been wanting to write this but at the same time I've been in a sort of fog this last week (I've come to some realizations.) I'm okay and can work out the situation, don't worry - I just wanted to give a reason as to why my writing may be wonky for awhile. 
> 
> I did leave out some stuff - the build up of the fight and such - but overall got down what I wanted to. Yes, Dan was aware the whole time that Phil is alive. He just couldn't contact him. And if your best friend disappeared off of the face of the planet for three years after being grieviously injured, I imagine one would be quite the mess.
> 
> Eh I'll stop rambling and just post. Hope it's enjoyable.
> 
> No QOTP. Well, not exactly. But, uh, here's a poll in regards to my _Disassociation_ series: https://www.strawpoll.me/16237696 The poll will be ended on October 13th, let us say.


End file.
